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Noninvasive Diagnostic Approach to NASH: Radiological Diagnostics

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Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

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Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its more aggressive form, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), have become leading causes of chronic liver disease worldwide given the obesity epidemic. Unlike many other forms of chronic liver disease that have simple, highly accurate diagnostic algorithms, NAFLD and, in particular, NASH can be quite challenging to diagnose noninvasively. In this setting, identification of noninvasive biomarkers with excellent sensitivity and specificity for NASH has become a focal point within hepatology, given the disease prevalence and potential associated morbidity and mortality. Imaging diagnostic tests for NASH including ultrasound and MRI-based approaches have produced very promising data to accurately characterize hepatic steatosis and fibrosis. More recent data has also shown that radiological diagnostics have good accuracy to assess for NASH specifically. In this chapter, we will highlight the current data in support of imaging protocols for noninvasive diagnosis of NASH and outline areas in need of further investigation in this realm.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Monica A. Tincopa

  2. Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Stephen A. Harrison

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  1. Monica A. Tincopa
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  2. Stephen A. Harrison
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Sciences, Division of Gastroentrology and Hepatology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

    Elisabetta Bugianesi

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Tincopa, M.A., Harrison, S.A. (2020). Noninvasive Diagnostic Approach to NASH: Radiological Diagnostics. In: Bugianesi, E. (eds) Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95828-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95828-6_14

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